Press Releases May 2009
Kaufman Center Presents Nashir! The Rottenberg Chorale (June 14, 2009)
Repertoire from noted composers including: Kurt Weill, William Billings, Shulamit Ran, Elliot Z. Levine & Salamone Rossi
Kaufman Center presents Nashir!, one of New York's finest amateur vocal ensembles focusing specifically on Jewish repertoire. Praised by The New York Times for the professional quality of its performers, Nashir! brings a sense of joy and passion to Jewish choral music and encompasses a repertoire that is both spiritual and whimsical, and that spans both continents and centuries. Directed by Benjamin Gruder since 2003, Nashir! has been in residence at Kaufman Center since 1975. The group was originally founded as the Hebrew Arts Chorale and was renamed in 1990 in honor of Reba and Marc Rottenberg.
Merkin Concert Hall Presents Writing Jazz: An Epilogue on Influence (May 30, 2009)
Pre-Concert Lecture with Gunther Schuller
World Premiere of David Rakowski’s “Stolen Moments”
Merkin Concert Hall’s Musically Speaking series concludes with Writing Jazz: An Epilogue on Influence. From the early 20th century to the present day, classical composers have responded to the jazz sounds that are so much a part of American culture. Lark Chamber Artists, Zéphyros Winds and the genre-bending pianist Anthony de Mare will explore this fascinating interaction, culminating in the premier of “Stolen Moments” by David Rakowski, commissioned for Merkin Hall by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Merkin Concert Hall presents Street Talk: Miles Davis’ On the Corner (May 25, 2009)
Hosted by Award-Winning Writer and Jazz Critic Howard Mandel
Merkin Concert Hall’s Musically Speaking series continues as a group of today’s top artists gathers to revisit On the Corner, Miles Davis’ epochal freestyle, improvisational LP. The group features the innovative trumpet of Graham Haynes as well as the album’s original saxophonist, Dave Liebman, and tabla player, Badal Roy, paying homage to a sound so radical and electrifying that at the time it sent shock waves through the jazz establishment. Award-winning writer and jazz critic Howard Mandel will host the evening.
Merkin Concert Hall Calendar of Events—June 2009
For more information, please call the individual contacts for each concert.
Box Office: 212 501 3330
Hours: Sun.–Thu., 12 noon–7 pm;
Fri., 12 noon–4 pm; (November 1–January 12, 12 noon–3 pm)
Sat., 7–9 pm (performance days only)
www.kaufman-center.org.
Merkin Concert Hall Calendar of Events—May 2009
For more information, please call the individual contacts for each concert.
Box Office: 212 501 3330
Hours: Sun.–Thu., 12 noon–7 pm;
Fri., 12 noon–4 pm; (November 1–January 12, 12 noon–3 pm)
Sat., 7–9 pm (performance days only)
www.kaufman-center.org.